EPCOT- HIt or Miss

[waymickey]

OK So I have question for everyone.
In your opinion is EPCOT a HIt or Miss?

I watched a show on Walt E. Disney last night and it seems that his vision for EPCOT was never realized. He had a much bigger, grander plan it seemed.

With that said It is my second favorite park behind MK. We visit it multiple times every trip. I don't know if I will see it the same when I go back knowing now what Walt had in mind.

[EeyoresBestFriend]

It definitely isn't what Walt originally envisioned, but it is my second, almost first, most favourite park.

A definite HIT!! :thumbsup:

[tiggerbuddy]

Started out as a HIT but is now a MISS !!!:sick:

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Definitely a hit...it is my second favorite behind Magic Kingdom....maybe not what he envisioned but I am betting he would still be proud of it.....

[Pop Centurion]

Definitely a hit. While not the original vision & the loss of some classic attractions, it's still my favorite park.

[ibelieveindisneymagic]

Despite its challenges, we still love Epcot!

[darthmacho]

As another poster has stated, by Walt's original vision, it's a Miss, but as far as being a fabulous theme park that I love to visit, to me it is not just a Hit, but a Grand Slam! :mickey:

[SusieQ]

I've always loved it and my DS is just beginning to "get it" - he's 14 and can now see how clever it is:thumbsup:

[btharvey]

I would have loved to have experienced the City Of Tomorrow that WED had envisioned. Such a wonderful combination of transportation, communication, entertainment and just plain existence would have been a beautiful model on which to build.

If Walt had stayed around, I'm certain he would have pushed it into shape. However, if he had, we wouldn't probably have the WDW we have today. I think it would have been more of a Disneyland (Magic Kingdom, the EPCOT community, and other advanced business and perhaps entertainment venues, but not the resort we all know and love) on the East Coast.

Instead, because no one after Walt could have driven the 'community' aspect, the choice to change EPCOT into a "futurist-themed" park that also incorporates the World's Fair type of pavilions was probably the best that could be made. That solidified WDW into an Entertainment Resort, and not a community.

WED would probably have been disappointed, but I'm not. I'm sorry that people think the existing EPCOT is a "miss" ... of course, I think folks are too critical in general (you should hear me at work! ;-). I honestly don't think that anyone but WED could have driven the community forward -- the choice was a good one.

I'm happy with EPCOT (Horizons would be nice to have back, and just plain "Seas" instead of "Nemo Seas" is my preference, but that's me). It's my favorite. AK is next, followed by MK. Sorry, DHS, you trail at a distance. Feels like too much asphalt and concrete.

Ok, 2 cents done. Down off soapbox now.

[Cara121078]

Even though, I'm not a huge fan of recent changes, it is still my favorite park and a giant HIT for me.

[Jeniflower]

It may not be what was originally envisaged but its defiently a hit for me. Some parts could use some work but the majority of it is so wonderful it makes up for the gaps

[Daisy'sMom]

Although Epcot is our favorite, there are alot of things that have no place there. When they took World of Motion away and replaced it with Test Track it was the beginning of Walt's plan being thrown out the door. :dory:

[Snickerdoodle]

It's a HIT in my book :thumbsup:

[Dragongirlx]

It's the park I seem to spend most time in so its a complete HIT for me

[azcavalier]

Big hit. Favorite park. I love the "two parks in one" feel with Future World and the World Showcase. So what if it's not what Walt envisioned? I'm sure that if he had lived to see his vision through, we'd love that as well.

Of course, I don't think that Disney has "missed" on any of their parks. I think that AK is an amazing feat, even if it is unfinished. I love the back-in-time feel of DHS, even if there is a lot of asphalt.

And the MK is just classic.

[JasonH]

When my parents were secretly planning our first trip to WDW which was also a trip to visit relatives beforehand, my grandma (dad's side) was concerned that my bro and I would not like EPCOT Center b/c of it being moreso educational rather than the fun that MK has. Boy was she wrong. We both enjoyed it tremendously and had a great time there. Fast forward to today, it's changed a lot, it has lost a lot of the focus it used to have as to what it originally was made to be, but it's still a great place and is still a hit nonetheless. :thumbsup:

[DVC2004]

I think it's a hit. I think it would have been very hard to be a place where real people live and work and be inside a theme park. We really enjoy it and would love to see more enhancements and updating some day.

[PopeCharming]

The original "vision" for Epcot was a rather sinister planned city without any elderly or infirm people, an act of kind-of corporate social engineering.

Walt Disney was a great man in many respects, but he sort of laid an egg as far as the original Epcot plan was concerned. The version they have now is much more doable, much more enjoyable for the average guest, and doesn't seem like a dystopian nightmare. I encourage you--- Go to Epcot-- I give you my papal guarantee you won't regret it!

[teambricker04]

Its out FAVORITE park... a HIT for sure. In fact, if my family could only go to one park, it would be EPCOT.

Our miss is AK. We always get super cranky, super hungry, and never last long. Maybe because we tend to go in August when it is hot, I don't know, but nothing there has us going back for more. Our next trip we aren't even planning on going there.

:mickey:

[Kenny1113]

Yep a HIT! It's my favorite park. @ teambuilder I used to feel the same way about AK. Until we went in April. Now it's my #2 park (kinda tied with MK bc of the nostalgia).

[MKFD43]

While I like epcot I have to say I do not love it. I do not want to watch movies about countries I get that from the travel channel. Norway and Mexico are fun because of the boat rides. I love the American Adventure. But the rest is just shops and movies. Future world seems to have lost its way. I like the nemo addition but I miss food rocks. Imaginations just isnt the same without the top floor. Space is ok but feels out dated already. Horizons was so much fun. Energy is a 45 minute nap. And seeing the Body wars pavillion sitting there not being used is pathetic.

[sixshot19]

For me it's a hit.....for my 2, 3 year old boys....a miss.......for now

[WDWgoofy]

HIT!:thumbsup:

My favorite park!:number1:

Yes, it has some issues (Wonders of Life?) but it is THE UNIQUE theme park in all the world.

A worlds fair combined with rides unlike any others. There is only one SE, one TT. MS, Soarin, Living with the Land, IllumiNations, Turtle Talk, Off-Kilter.

WOW! What a place!:mickey:

[olivegirl]

For us EPCOT is a HIT!!!! We have always loved this park!!! From the rides to the Worlds its just sooo fun!! My 12 year old DD has loved EPCOT since her first visit at 5 years old! :thumbsup:

[Terra]

HIT HIT HIT! :)
But EPCOT is my very favorite park and we spend most of our time there. I'm actually thinking of just getting the EPCOT after 4 pass this year around because I rarely go to any of the other parks [only when I take the boys.] But my girlfriends and I do our nights out at EPCOT!

[ryca1dreams]

Instead, because no one after Walt could have driven the 'community' aspect, the choice to change EPCOT into a "futurist-themed" park that also incorporates the World's Fair type of pavilions was probably the best that could be made. That solidified WDW into an Entertainment Resort, and not a community.

WED would probably have been disappointed, but I'm not. I'm sorry that people think the existing EPCOT is a "miss" ... of course, I think folks are too critical in general (you should hear me at work! ;-). I honestly don't think that anyone but WED could have driven the community forward -- the choice was a good one.


I think you're right - Epcot was the best compromise. I have not read much on the history, but I suspect that the execs/imagineers got together and said 'this city of the future thing is going to cost a fortune'. So they re-imagined it into a theme park where you could learn about the other cultures and imagine the future.

I see versions of Walt's idea (business + community + recreation, etc.) cropping up in pockets of the cities around here - just not on such a grand scale. He really was an innovator.

So, with that said, I think it's a hit.

[mainemajor]

It's our families favorite park - so it's a hit for us

[kemps@wdw]

I'm gonna go out on a limb here, and say that there's probably a lot of things @ WDW that 's not exactly the way Walt envisioned them. But I do believe that he would be satisfied, for the most part, at the way things have progresses @ the World. That being said, Epcot has become our fave park. I love the mix of attractions in FW (although, it's not really futuristic , but I don't care), and the diversity of traveling "around the World" and experiencing different cultures. And, of course, Illuminations is 2nd to none!

[Jforrest2]

We are planning our October trip around Epcot and the Food & wine festival. Our favorite park and most definitely a HIT!

[UCJen]

I can't imagine a trip without going to Epcot.

It's my favorite park. I remember my first trip as child and how I talked about it for months on end to anyone who would listen to me.

Is it the same park I visited as child?
No, not by a long shot?

Do I miss the original JiI, Horizons, and WoL?
Absolutely, but I focus on what is still there and I enjoy myself immensely.

[indytraveler]

I also couldn't imagine a living community in that area. A Theme Park has always made sense. Epcot is our second favorite park behind MK. DHS is a distant 3rd and AK is still further behind that.

So that makes it a HIT!